SHILLONG, June 4: The cabinet would meet on Tuesday to decide on the terms of reference of the expert committee constituted by the government to review the job reservation policy of 1972.
An official said that the cabinet would discuss the selection of the members of the expert committee. The job of selecting members of the expert panel would be handed over to a select committee.
He also said the cabinet is likely to finalise the implementation of the new reservation roster system to be in line with the existing job reservation policy.
Earlier, after meeting with the organisations from the Garo Hills region in Tura on Saturday, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that a new roster system would be put in place in the cabinet meeting to be held on June 6 or 7.
As many as 19 Garo organisations, ranging from the Garo Students’ Union to the Garo Graduates’ Union, attended the meeting with the chief minister.
The meeting was attended by former MDC, Augustine Marak of GNC, former MLA HM Shangpliang, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, and Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh among others.
The objective was to address the concerns and seek clarity on the existing reservation roster, ensuring that all participants have a comprehensive understanding of its provisions and implications.
Sangma explained that during the all-party meeting, one suggestion that came up was the formation of an expert committee besides the political committee on the roster system.
“The government has agreed on this and the matter will be taken up in the cabinet meeting. Once this committee is set up, it will be asked to do its research by meeting people and stakeholders, researching the reservation policy (both national and state) as many times as required (before any decisions are taken),” he said.
Earlier, bowing down to pressure, the NPP-led MDA 2.0 Government had notified the constitution of an expert committee to review the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy of 1972.
The committee notified will consist of experts in constitutional law, economics, sociology, demographic studies and related fields. The names of the members will be notified later by the government.
The expert committee will undertake a review of the reservation policy by obtaining views from all stakeholders and conducting field visits to all parts of the state.
The decision on constitution of an expert committee is based on the recommendation of the Committee on Reservation Roster, headed by Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, which had observed that it is not competent enough to deal with the divergent opinions of its members on the reservation policy.
